Louis-Ferdinand Céline wrote his masterpiece, Journey to the End of the Night, between 1921 and 1932, a work which he started while still a student in French medical school. This novel cemented Céline's reputation and earned him the Prix Renaudot in 1932, the highest literary award of the day.
Journey to the End of the Night is a semi-autobiographical novel in which Céline examines his life experiences as a young Frenchman before and during World War I, revealing the psychological impact of the war and how it affected him and his family. Life for Céline—or the protagonist of the novel, Bardamu— was not easy during the war years, as the French were subject to extreme poverty, privation and internal struggles. Using the novel, Céline sought to express what life had become after the war and to capture the feelings of hopelessness and despair of a generation of French who, having lived through the terror of the war, had lost all faith in humanity.
The narrator of the novel is Bardamu, who, born in 1899, is of the same generation as Céline. Bardamu takes the reader through his life experiences, which begin with a mundane childhood in the small town of Elbeuf, followed by a position in the medical corps of the French military where he learned the harsh realities of war. After surviving the war, Bardamu travels to colonial Africa, experiencing exploitation and racism firsthand. Next, he goes to America, where he is witness to American commercialism and ultimately resigns himself to a life of poverty, ennui and cynicism.
Throughout the novel, Céline's dark humour and pointed sarcasm is pervasive, as he mercilessly holds nothing back in criticising the society in which he lived and the war which he had been part of. Céline uses grotesque characters, vivid dialogue and strong language to express his pessimism and convey the pointlessness of war. There is also a theme of alienation, as Bardamu struggles to find solace in an increasingly hostile and amoral world.
The influence of Céline's novel on postmodern literature continues to this day. Through his pioneering use of stream of consciousness and use of language, Céline has been an inspiration for such relevant authors as James Joyce and Henry Miller. His versatile writing style and biting criticism has achieved universal admiration and recognition, earning him a place in the canon of great authors.
Journey to the End of the Night remains one of the most influential works of Céline and twentieth century French literature. His distinct and original style and honest portrayal of the horrors and suffering of War I, serves as a bleak reminder of the destructive forces of war and our fragile and tenuous existence.
